12 Months of Date Nights Gift & Free Printable!

Mark planned some pretty sweet date nights in 2013. I mean, the guy feels constricted in most t-shirts, so you know that’s love when he willingly suggests we get dolled up to go out to eat, he in a tux, I in my black sequined jacket. Everyone at the Mexican restaurant asked us where we were going. To which we replied, “Here!”

Our server was sweet enough to offer to take some photos of us to remember the occasion by. They are some of my favorite of last year!

Anyway, I felt like it was my turn to show Mark some major love through some special date nights this new year, so for Christmas, I gave him a collection of pre-planned date nights, one for each month in 2014!

And here is Mark’s priceless reaction to it on Christmas morning:

(NOTE: the particular date he is getting excited about is a board game marathon.)

I think he liked it!

And really, this is a gift to both of us. We’ve committed to “date” each other through the years, no matter how busy life gets. It’s important to us to carve out intentional time together to grow our relationship. That way, when life’s storms do hit (and they will), we’ll have a solid foundation to stand on, so we can weather whatever comes our way…together.

How to Make Your Own!

Here’s all you need in order to create a mini-book with 12 Pre-Planned Date Nights for you and your sweetheart:

So, in terms of the gift design, I adopted the idea of a “pocket-sized mini-book” from Ashley over at The Creative Place who offers up an awesome free printable for a Mother’s Day gift akin to this one; in fact, that’s a project idea you just might want to squirrel away for the next few months.

…followed by each month of the year and the specific date night I’ve planned out. At the beginning of each new month, it’ll be my responsibility to look at the calendar and designate an evening (or afternoon) for our special date that month.

I even included a “wild card,” which either of us can put into play when we’re feeling extra…well…wild!

In between each sheet of cardstock, I included cut-outs of red, pink, and gray scrapbook paper for added whimsy. This was another idea from Ashley’s post that I was keen on. It makes the collection even more thick and colorful! You could even replace the scrapbook paper with memorabilia or photographs.

And for the grand finale card, I made a special Valentine’s Day farewell…with space for a personal note and signature.

I cut out all my cardstock and scrapbook paper dividers, punched holes in the upper-left corner of each of them, and strung them on a binder ring. Done and done!

Free Printable

UPDATE: Since publishing this initial post, I created a new-and-improved version of this printable with new color schemes, cover options, occasion cards…and so much more. (Yup, it’s now a 14 page printable PACK chock full of gift-giving goodness.)

Just fill out your name and email below to nab your freebie!

Our 12 Months of Date Nights

Here’s a run-down of all of our 12 months of date nights just to get your creative juices flowing as you plan out your own:

JANUARY: Let’s enjoy our evening by the fire pit, roasting s’mores and picking up where we left off in reading aloud Catching Fire.

FEBRUARY: We’ll pack a picnic dinner and head to Leu Gardens for anoutdoor movie: “Stuck in Love.” Gardens open at 6p, movie at 7:30p.

MARCH: Let’s get dolled up for a night at the theatre to see Children of Eden at the Cocoa Village Playhouse!

APRIL: Road trip! Let’s head north to Blue Springs State Park. We can explore the park by canoe and look out for manatees.

MAY: How ’bout a game of singles tennis? Followed up by brunch at White Wolf Cafe. We’ll ride our bikes, of course!

JUNE: Now that you’ve seen the light about Downton Abbey, let’s plan a D.A. Marathon! And make fondue!

JULY: In honor of our anniversary month (5 years!), let’s open up the chest and read through some of our old love letters. Then, let’s each write a letter to each other to open in 20 years!

AUGUST: To College Park we go! Part I – We each have $20 to spend at Dechoes thrift store. Part II – We’ll grab a bite to eat at Infusion Tea!

SEPTEMBER: D.I.Y. Duo Date! We’ll scour Pinterest for a project that suits our fancy, then pull out the power tools and craft supplies to make it happen…together!

OCTOBER: Food Crawl: first we’ll enjoy appetizers at Cafe Tu Tango, followed by the main course at Pho 88, and top it off with dessert at the Blue Bird Bake Shop!

NOVEMBER: I’ll grab the wine if you grab the cheese…for a sunset boat cruise to look for owls and to enjoy the night air.

DECEMBER: Game Night! Carcassone followed by Small World followed by Ticket to Ride. And a hot drink for each game.

WILD CARD: After a bike around Lake Baldwin, let’s get some frozen yogurt, then sit on the dock and draw up the blueprints of our dream home!

I even created a follow-up post entitled 101 Creative Date Nights on Dime to further help you brainstorm what date nights you might include in your 12 months. Check out that post HERE.

And a Pinterest-friendly graphic for the pinners:

Although Valentine’s Day is around the bend, I think this gift would be lovely year-round be it for a birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day, on an anniversary…or one of those unexpected gifts on a random Monday. I guarantee it will turn even the most ordinary day into something extraordinary.

Happy dating!

On a Mini-Book Kick?

If you’re like me and just can’t get enough of these mini-books, be sure to check out my latest one, a “What I Love About You From A to Z” Mini-Book Gift. Your recipient will receive a barrage of love through 26 different affirmations, one for each letter of the alphabet! Check it out HERE.

Hungry for More Meaningful Gift Ideas?

If this post has whet your appetite for more gifts that aren’t too expensive but come straight from the heart, guess what? I wrote a 143-page eBook to help my comrades come up with meaningful and one-of-a-kind gift ideas quickly, some in as short as 5 minutes.

The book includes:

21 gift ideas

78 actionable-examples

20 pages of printables.

Oh, and most of the gift ideas will cost you $10 or less. Truth. So, what are you waiting for, friend? Click HERE so you can read the sample chapters before nabbing your copy of Thinking Outside the Gift Box.

Lovely comments so far...

Lauren, I knew there was a reason we were online buds. Carcassonne, Small World, and Ticket to Ride? Definitely good choices. Plus, I know you have Dominion! Have you played 7 Wonders yet? It’s definitely a favorite of ours! (Oh, and Chrononauts is pretty awesome too, along with a long list of games that I will do you the favor of not listing here). Or, have you seen Wil Wheaton’s youtube show Tabletop {http://geekandsundry.com/shows/tabletop/}? Definitely a must if you’re a gamer (and you clearly are).

Oh, and I love the date a month idea! Plus, your dates are so cute. If only I could steal them all! Unfortunately, it’s way to cold here for an outdoor movie in February!

So glad we’re on the same game wavelength, Kristy! And yep, we’re fans of Dominion and now a new game we just recently discovered: Pandemic. Wish Mark and I could enjoy a game night with you and Earl sometime. (You could teach us 7 Wonders or Chrononauts!) We’re familiar with Wil Wheaton, though we haven’t watched much Tabletop; something to add to the MUST-SEE list.

Ha ha. And I forget how bizarre it is sometimes to imagine an outdoor movie in February. Though we might have to bundle up in fleeces and blankets, it’ll be NOTHING like the cold climes up north. We’re spoiled rotten in the winters here, but it all evens out once summer hits! 😉

What a great gift!! I’m already thinking of dates that I can put together for L and I! 🙂 This year we went through and planned day trips/adventures for each month of the year so that we would get out and explore. I love the idea of adding a few dates to the mix too! 🙂

Yay! So glad it got your gears turning, Kenley. And I love that you did something so similar with day trips and adventures – – it sounds like you and L have a shared zest for life! And that is such a wonderful thing to nurture!

July 18th! Just days before you guys. Love that we share that special connection, my friend. Do you know if you guys will do anything special to celebrate your 5 years? I’m wondering if a trip is in order for us!

what a lovely idea! this sounds like such fun for the both of you. i may have to do this. I really like the date ideas you chose, all fun and unique (I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, my dear!). i am so glad he enjoyed it! That is probably one of the best feelings when you land on a cute, simple and creative idea that he really enjoys too. so glad!

So cute and thoughtful! Reminds me of my little book you made me last year for Mothers day – entitled “10 things I love about you” in which you each wrote 5 beautiful pages in the booklet. So good for the soul….. I love these ideas of simple, meaningful date nights, so creative and sooo you and Mark!! Great job!

So glad you like it, Mom. And yes! I totally found my inspiration in that design! (Which I got from Ashley from The Creative Place.) We so loved creating those gifts for you and my Mom…and I thought this would be a fun play on the mini-book gift. Now, my gears are turning with a million other mini-book gift ideas! 😉

SOOOOOO sweet!!!! I love the dates you chose, too! They all sound like so much fun! This would be a great first year anniversary “paper” gift! Well it’s a great gift anytime of the year, like you said 🙂

Oooo…good thinking, friend! I never can remember all those traditional anniversary gifts, but I think it’s such a fun idea. Do you and Alex follow in the traditions? It’s nice to have a bit of structure when it comes to gift giving with just enough elbow room for creativity to come into play. “Freedom in form!” as my college theatre professor would say.

Lauren, these are so crafty. I did something similar last year and by similar I mean I wrote down the dates on a card. Yours are so much cuter and creative! I love February! You will have a great date night at Leu Gardens, we may even see you there. If you see a group of friends all drinking wine and having a good time, that will be us. We like to celebrate Valentines as a group, that way single friends can join us and celebrate.

Great minds think alike, Christina! And it was because of our conversation about Leu Gardens that I thought to look up the movie schedule for the next few months…so thanks for that one! I’ll definitely have to look out for you and your happy throng!

I had to keep watching the video of Mark getting this gift from you! He’s so excited–especially about the game night! All of your ideas seem wonderful and many don’t cost money either–just time, which is very valuable.
I love that you are intentional about dating and strengthening your relationship through big and small adventures together.
Perfect for a first year of marriage and perhaps even for 34 years! 🙂

Ha ha. Yes, I love watching it, too! His enthusiasm is palpable! What this video didn’t capture, however, was the moment he realized that the date is for NEXT December, so he has to wait a whole YEAR for that game marathon. Poor guy. We’ll be sure to play plenty of games in the meantime to tie us over; we just got a fun new one from Andy and Liz: Pandemic! We’ll have to play with you all next time we’re together.

And I’m glad you like the gift idea! Yes, perfect for any stage in the relationship. Thanks to you and Dad for always setting such a great example in terms of your marriage; I remember well how intentional you were and still are about going out on dates! In fact, you just came back from a long weekend date! 😉

Pandemic sounds perfect esp. for healthcare professionals like Mark and me….hopefully these epidemics are just fictional and will never really happen!!
Yes, your dad has always been intentional about dating, esp. when he was in graduate school! Date nights and special get-aways that would gradually unfold. I need to do more of my own plotting and planning and have a few ideas in mind for him!
Might be more like “giving your wife a baseball mitt”, but hopefully he’ll enjoy them, too!

Heather, I totally spaced on your connection to Orlando! We’ll have to swap more stories sometime…and maybe you can clue me in to some more of your favorite spots! We’re still getting a lay of the land after 1.5 years here…and I still haven’t quite found all the goldmine thrift stores I KNOW are out there just waiting to be discovered. 😉

Yes it does, doesn’t it, Sharon? And your comment immediately makes me want to sing the song from the King and I, “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…” Everything relates back to musical theatre with me! Ha ha.

Lauren, this came at the bestest time ever. I had planned on making something similar for my hubs for his birthday and was struggling to find the time to do it! Thank you for removing part of the stress and hassle!!!!

Hi Lauren,
This is FABULOUS!!! My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary in February and I think we need to start “dating” again! Love this idea!!! Thanks for sharing the files so we can all copy the project. Who knows what sparks it might ignite!!!
Peace, Love and Joy,
Joyce
P.S. May I share this project on my http://www.peaceloveandjoyce.com website?

You always have the best ideas! I seriously love this. I know by Feb the year has already begun, but I think I may make a set for hubby for Valentines 🙂 Pinning now, thanks for stopping by & linking up this week to the Lovely Ladies link party, GREAT project!

Lauren, I LOVE THIS!!!! I’m thinking I might have to do this as a wedding gift to my fiance. I’m thinking 12 months of dating for our first year of marriage. :O I’m excited! I love that not all of the date nights are go out and spend money dates. Even more so that the date night Mark got excited about was a night in. Very cute and well done! I’ve pinned it!

What a great idea! I am going to do this for my honey as a Valentine’s gift. Your date for March especially caught my attention. The Cocoa Village Playhouse was originally a blacksmith shop, my great grandfather’s shop actually. I grew up there but live in Houston now so I think this is good karma that I found your blog through Pinterest.

Oh yes! I hope you do get to use this printable or create some sort of rendition of your own. We had our January date this past week, and already we cannot wait for February! I’m starting to think this might have to be an annual tradition…. Thanks for the pin-love, Alexis.

Lauren, your little book is really cute, but I fear I would get an eye-roll if I gave my man something cutesy like that. I love the date book idea, though. Often it takes some planning and inspiration to get the ball rolling. Your dates would be a perfect gift for me, but the hub might like some other sorts of things. A craft project together? THAT would never happen here! Perhaps remembering when the Tigers are in Lakeland for spring training or a night out at Dave & Busters would be more his style. He humors me with dance lessons, zumba classes and getaways to the beach, but truth-be-told he loves them too.

Yeah, this style mini-book might not be for every man, but hopefully you could transfer the same idea into something your guy would really enjoy. I think that just showing that you cared to plan out intentional time together throughout the year will just speak volumes to him, however you choose to show it. (And you should TOTALLY gift your man a night at Dave & Busters! Especially if that would make him smile. I love it!) And that warms my heart that he gifts you with things he knows you loves…and maybe even secretly enjoys them, too! Lol. Mark even tried Zumba with me once since my sister is an instructor; it was hilarious.

I’m passing this on to my parents because it is a great idea, but I unfortunately have no one of my own to share it with =(. Also, I love the scrapbook paper in there (I actually have that same pack at home)

Thank you so much for this!! We are on tight budget and we not going to do valentines gifts this year, but I made this for less than two dollars and it will be a way for us to make sure we are staying connected and making us a priority! Hard to do when you both work and have two kids. I know he will love the thoughtfulness behind this and we will have a blast trying new things together!

Hi Lauren,
I love this idea! I would love to do it for my husband, but I can’t get the download to work. Box says you are out of bandwidth. Would you be willing to email the file to me? Thanks so much for sharing!!

Lauren, I just wanted to thank you for these awesome printables! We had a super limited budget for Valentine’s Day and when I came across your post, I knew this would be the perfect gift for my husband. He loved it! While store bought goodies are nice, sometimes the best gift you can give is TIME. This ensures that even when life gets busy, this mom and dad will make time for EACH OTHER – at least monthly. Thank you for sparking a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Ashley, that YOU for taking the time to come back and comment! Seriously, it makes me so happy to know that you were able to use my printable to create a Valentine’s Day gift that you not only felt proud of, but that will allow you and your hubby to spend some quality time together this next year! Woot woot! P.S. Also, can we just pause for a moment to acknowledge how hilariously amazing your blog title is? Love it!

What a great idea. I need to start brainstorming. It sounds like we live relatively close to each other. I live in Brevard County and have been to the Cocoa Village playhouse before. Have a lovely day.
Kim

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

I’m a New York gal putting down new roots in Orlando, Florida with my hubby and our sailboat. My heart skips a beat for all things creative, be it crafting, upcycling, sewing, journaling…especially blogging. If I can make you smile or ignite in you a spark of inspiration, then my job is done here. Won’t you grab a cup of chai, a comfy blanket, and stay a while? {read more...}

let’s connect

Subscribe

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Email Address

the paperback

The NEW paperback edition of my book is now available and ready to ship! Click HERE to nab your copy and kickstart your creativity!

search

fine print

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photos on this blog are my own and are copyrighted by The Thinking Closet. You may grab 1-2 photos, but do not crop out a watermark, and please provide a link back to this site and ascribe proper credit. I would also appreciate a comment letting me know. Under no circumstances, should the text of this blog or multiple photos be copied and re-posted elsewhere unless you have permission from me to do so.

The Thinking Closet also occasionally features carefully selected sponsored posts and affiliate links. Please refer to my policies page for more information. Thanks.